Fractions
by I've Perfected Imperfection
Summary: Mikan finally grasps the concept of common denominators. But not in the way people would normally think of it. -Tsubasa


O

O

O

"I hate maths! I hate maths! I hate maths!" screamed the frustrated brunette who was busy professing her undying hate for the subject that irritated her to bits.

"Stop making such a big ruckus out of it. Just because you're stupid at it," her best friend insulted frostily, scooping more crab brains out of the normal-looking jar.

"Hotaru, you're such a meanie!"

Hotaru snorted quietly and murmured, "For your unbelievably stupid information, 'meanie' is not a word and does not reside in the dictionary. And grow up. You got a D in Maths, so what? It's not like you're any good at it."

Mikan ignored her sarcastic insult and whined childishly, "But that's why I hate it! I don't get a single bit of it!"

"And _that_ is why you're so stupid."

"Ugh! You're not going to help me, are you?" Mikan asked heatedly.

"Help you with what?" Hotaru acted clueless, now working on an uncompleted yet complicated machinery,

"What do you think, Hotaru?"

"I think you should shut up, or would you like me to do the beloved honours?" Hotaru looked threatening and serious as she picked up the screw driver. Being the stupid and reckless person Mikan was, she dared her life even more.

"You're not going to help me with maths by tutoring me, are you?" Mikan squeaked, trying to give off a confident aura.

Without opening her mouth, Hotaru swiftly grabbed a familiar gun out of nowhere and pressed on the trigger that sent Mikan flying off to another unpleasant location. Why unpleasant? It was unpleasant because _he _was here, and that _he _was one that Mikan disliked very much.

"Natsume," she greeted sourly, frowning.

"Hn." That was his usual reply, so she didn't bother retorting back as she was too tired and angry at her test results. "Why so angry in the morning?" Natsume asked impassively with an uncaring look. Mikan was more than surprised that he had even started the conversation first, as it was usually her who started it.

But as she realized what question he had asked, she didn't dwell on the thought for long. "I'm so angry, Natsume! What kind of cruel, cold-hearted teacher would put our Math's test results on the school board for _everyone _to see?"

Uninterested, he shrugged in response and never took his heartbreakingly beautiful crimson eyes off the pages of his comic book. "Look at me." Mikan didn't know what possessed her to say that, but she had a sudden craving to look straight at him in the eye. Natsume raised an eyebrow and slowly put the book down, stared at her in a way that said he was bored and unaffected. Even though there were sarcastic taunts in his eyes, she could never get over how she always felt time stopped and the only thing she could see were the redness of his eyes and how she was always absorbed in them. '_Not like anyone doesn't feel like they're absorbed in his eyes,' _she thought grimly, remembering to exclude a few people like Hotaru.

The truth was, Mikan loved him. It took her years to figure out her feelings, but as she solved the puzzle, she became more nervous and shy around him.

"If you're finished staring at me, could you quit staring? I know you have a hidden obsession with me, but I'm beginning to think you're not the naïve, stupid little girl I used to know," Natsume paused, seeing as Mikan begun smiling triumphantly, thinking that he was going to compliment and tell her she was finally maturing.

"You're beginning to turn into a creepy, obsessed fan-girl stalker."

As usual, she began hitting him numerously, shouting harmless curses.

But as she remembered what she needed, she immediately stopped and froze on the spot, gaping at nothing but a horrifying memory. "Natsume!" she shouted as she knelt down and shook his shoulders aggressively.

"Tch. What now, Polka?"

Strands of messy brown hair fell across her face, falling out of the bun she had untidily done. "I need a tutor! And I need one now!"

"So? What do you want _me _to do about it?"

"I mean, 'can you be my tutor, please'?" Mikan literally begged, bowing on the ground.

Rolling his eyes, he declined straightforwardly. "No."

"Why not, Natsume?" Her voice seemed softer, but Natsume couldn't see her expression as she stared at the ground wearingly.

"Because, I said so," Natsume simply said, dusting his pants and stuffing his hands inside his pockets.

"Please, please, please, please, _please_?" He could see her wet eyes now, with big fat tears running across her red cheeks that seemed to resemble a tomato's colour.

"_For crying out loud, why are you crying now, you cry baby?" _Natsume looked irritated and pissed. '_Why would someone cry over something so small like this?' _he thought, upset.  
"It's just one Maths class test, so what? You'll live and get over it. Just build a cotton candy bridge or whatever and cross it. Eat it. Jump up and down like a retarded bunny with rabies over it, just _stop crying_."

Mikan stared at him as he said such a long, horrible yet touching speech. "I wish. But I can't have cotton candy yet unless I pass this test, Natsume! So therefore, help me pass this test and _then _I'll bounce like I'm the happiest bunny in the world with friendly, talkative rabies, and I'll stop annoying you about these tests!"

He slapped his forehead and groaned inwardly as he thought, '_Mikan Sakura is such a retarded, stupid, naïve, childish, little girl.'_

The retarded, stupid, naïve, childish, little girl continued bouncing up and down while tugging on his sleeve, begging.

"Whatever. Just don't keep pestering me, and I'll make the rules when I tutor you, understand?"

She nodded her head eagerly, saluting.

Natsume sighed, wondering how amazing this little girl was. Able to make him tutor such a person, that's the work and wonders of Mikan Sakura.

O

O

O

**Rules of Natsume Hyuuga tutoring Polka.**

**1. **_Don't annoy the tutor._

**2. **_Listen and absorb what the tutor has to lecture about, since the tutor won't repeat twice._

**3. **_Don't fidget._

**4. **_Don't look at the time. At all._

**5. **_No drooling over the tutor's looks._

**6. **_Do not dream of food. Especially cotton candy._

**7. **_Do not fall asleep._

**8. **_No complaining, or else._

**9. **_Don't expect the tutor to provide the utensils needed. Jeez, he's not superman._

**10. **_Do not disobey the tutor, because you'll regret it dearly._

O

O

O

"What kind of rules are these?" Mikan shrieked, annoyed.

"My rules, so you better abide by them. Or else," Natsume threatened, glaring at her pouting face. "Give me that." He snatched the piece of paper off her and out of nowhere, wrote something with a black pen. "There," he said, smirking.

Beneath number 10, was written a new rule. **11. **_No pouting or useless puppy dog eyes. They annoy the tutor tremendously._

Mikan noticed a flaw that Natsume had pointed out. "So… my pouting and 'useless' puppy dog eyes annoy you _tremendously_?" It was her turn to smirk, finally happy to discover a weakness of her nemesis.

"Crap, is it just me or did you finally figure out how annoyed I was whenever I saw them? The world must be coming to an end. Brace your selves everyone," Natsume derisively said, smirking again.

"Whatever! Let's just get a move on it. We have little time to waste before our next test," Mikan said, marching determinedly towards her dorm.

"And may I remind you, that that test is in three weeks? Relax, Polka."

"Oh, stop being such a baby!"

Natsume looked at her in a perplexed, bewildered expression. "I'm being a baby? _I'm _being a _baby_? That's one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard in my life! Especially since they're coming from _the Mikan Sakura," _Natsume said incredulously.

She stuck her tongue out playfully and said, "You make it sound like I have such a reputation! Thanks, Natsume!"

Natsume muttered, "It's not a very good reputation, though."

She ignored his retort and suddenly stopped. "What now, Polka?" Natsume asked lazily.

"Say, you don't happen to have a spare pencil, huh?" Mikan asked, afraid that she would get the expected answer.

"Whatever. But next time, get your own. I don't want drool all over mine," Natsume said, carelessly flicking his bangs out of his eyes.

"Thank you!"

Natsume started walking towards his dorm. As they walked silently, he said, "After we get the stupid pencil, we go back to your dorm. I don't want my room messy."

"Say, Natsume…" Mikan began, her voice slowly quieting down.

"What now?" He asked with such irritation and annoyance. "Do you mind if we could study in your dorm?" Mikan rushed out the sentence, huffing.

Before Natsume took time to consider the option, he bluntly said, "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleaseeee?"

"No. No. No. And _no_," Natsume stated.

She sighed, downcast. "Fine, I'll just find another tutor…" After that, she ran off unexpectedly to nowhere.

"Oi, Polka!" Mikan could hear him shout, but didn't bother turning back. '_Why is it so hard for me to get tutored? Am I that stupid?_'

As she raced towards her dorm, she bumped into a tall person. "Ouch! Sorry, Mr…" As Mikan looked up, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Tsubasa-senpai!"

"Mikan! What's wrong? Why are you crying? Who did this to you? What happened? Tell me!" Tsubasa demanded holding onto her shoulders.

"Nothing, I just need a tutor," she sniffled a little before blowing on the offered handkerchief.

"So you're crying because you can't get a tutor?" Tsubasa asked, raising an eyebrow of disbelief.

"Natsume," was all she said.

"Oh. Want me to talk to him later about whatever you're crying over?"

She shook her head and looked up at him pleadingly. "Can you please be my tutor, Tsubasa-senpai? Please?"

"Of course, I'll always help you with whatever help you need, Mikan," Tsubasa said soothingly, smiling radiantly down at Mikan as if she was his little sister.

"Thanks, Senpai."

Unbeknownst to them, Natsume watched them closely behind a tree. "Whatever," he mumbled to himself and walked off.

O

O

O

"So you're learning fractions now, am I correct?" the tutor said, smiling.

Mikan nodded, smiling happily.

Tsubasa said, "Hmm. What a coincidence, I just happened to be the pro at this topic. It's my favourite." He flashed a set of pearly white teeth before settling a piece of paper that showed numerous questions in front of her.

"Okay, can you tell me how'd you solve this?" Tsubasa asked, pointing to the easiest question. Embarrassingly, Mikan shook her head and felt blood rush to her cheeks. "Don't worry, you will soon!" He cheerfully said, trying to lift up her spirits. Pinching her cheeks lightly, he said, "Stop feeling so down and smile. The better you feel, the better you learn. Trust me." And so she did.

"Anyways, I'll teach you how to solve it. First, if the denominators are the same, you just add the numerators. Okay?"

Mikan nodded, listening intently. "Wait, what's denominator and numerator, Tsubasa-senpai?"

He explained, "The numerator is the number on the top and the denominator is the number at the bottom. Without the numerator, the denominator is practically nothing. And without the denominator, the numerator is nothing. They're halves of each other."

"So, they're like lovers?"

"What?" Tsubasa looked genuinely surprised.

"Like, you said they're halves of each other. Without the other half, they're nothing," Mikan said, blinking curiously.

"Well, in that perspective, yeah. I guess so," the tutor said, glad she had finally started learning in a strange, unique way.

For the rest of the afternoon, he had continued teaching her the essentials she needed to know.

"So, we'll rest for today. We'll start again on Monday after school. Is that alright with you?" Tsubasa asked, taking a sip of cold water.

"Sure! Thanks so much, Tsubasa-senpai! For some weird reason, I had so much fun learning about common denominators! Thank you!" Mikan was back to her bubbly self, flitting all over the room.

'_Mission accomplished…_' Tsubasa thought happily. "No worries, Mikan." Flashing him a sunny smile, she collected her stuff and walked out to her dorm. She smiled to herself, forgetting earlier morning.

O

O

O

As three weeks passed by quickly, Mikan remembered to wake up earlier than usual and rush to class.

"Good morning!" She felt so energetic and hyper today. After all the work and studies she had gone through, it was finally the day to test how much she had improved.

"Someone's eager for the test," Sumire commented, taking a bite of her snack bar.

"Of course I'm eager for the test, Permy! I was studying for a good cause!" Mikan exclaimed, seeming proud that she had even studied for three weeks.

Sumire spat out her snack bar and choked a bit. "Eh?" Everyone seemed surprised that _the _Mikan had studied. Worse, it was for maths! Even her best friend was caught surprised.

"Wow, Mikan-chan! That's good news!" The class president, Yuu, was the first to congratulate her, even if they hadn't even started the test. Everyone seemed to nod in agreement, but nonetheless went back to what they were doing.

Suddenly, the doors bolted open, revealing a nonchalant Natsume. "Hn, how did that shadow freak tutor thing go? I almost felt sorry for him when you dragged him into his dorm just so he could tutor you."

Mikan evaded his sarcastic insult and retorted, "Thanks for being concerned, but I believe that that is none of your business, so stop being so nosy."

"I'm being nosy? So does that mean everyone who asked you similar questions, is nosy?"

"They're my friends," Mikan threw back.

A flash of hurt crossed his features, but only for a second.

"Never knew friends were in your vocabulary."

She could literally feel steam coming out of her nose and ears. "Stop being such a cold-hearted jerk!"

"Stop being such an annoying, stupid girl. And then I'll stop being 'such a jerk'." He added, "Not that I am one though."

Before Mikan could voice out her anger, another angry voice spoke up. "Quiet! Stop fighting, you two and sit down!" Mikan harrumphed and sat down on her seat grudgingly. Natsume sat down and looked out the window, looking utterly bored. Jinno said, "As you are all aware, we are having a test now. And if any of you fail, you will suffer two months of studying under my supervision every lunch." A lot of groans and whispers could be heard as the teacher had said this.

"Quiet! I don't want any more complaining from you lot! If you pass, you'll be lucky to not suffer the punishment. If not, too bad for you. You can study and watch me eat lunch." The frog sitting on his shoulder croaked in the silence, making it uncomfortable. "I'll know if you're cheating. So don't do anything funny, especially you Mr. Yome. If any of you cheat in anyway, it will result to an immediate zero and you won't enjoy the punishment very much." After Jinno finally explained the rules, he said, "Start!"

_50 minutes later… _

'_Phew, I finally finished!' _Mikan thought, stretching inwardly. She noticed that the person who sat beside her had finished long time before she had reached the fourth page. He was leaning on his open palm, staring at the clear, blue sky. Seeing that there was a spare piece of paper, she took it and started writing a message on it, hoping that Jinno-sensei wouldn't see her.

_Natsume,_

_How come you finished so early?_

_Mikan_

She passed the paper to him, nudging his elbow softly. She turned her head around to look in a different direction as he turned to look at her. After a few seconds, Mikan felt a small bump on her leg as a piece of paper appeared out of nowhere on top of her test.

_Polka_

_I'm not stupid like you._

'_He didn't bother to put his name down… whatever,_' Mikan thought, thinking of a smart reply.

_Natsume,_

_Stop calling me that! And I'm not stupid; I'm just not as smart as you are. _

_Mikan_

She drew a small white flag to represent her surrender in admitting he was smarter than her. '_Of course, I'd be really stupid if I had said I was smarter than him,' _Mikan thought grimly, passing the sheet back to him. Several minutes passed, still no reply. Mikan looked at him for the first time, and noticed he was back to staring the boring sky. She also noticed the sheet was in front of her again. Mikan frowned and before she could write down again, a metal lecture stick slammed on the sheet. "My, my, what's this, Sakura?" Mikan was trembling under his agonizing scrutiny.

"Nothing," Mikan squeaked.

"This," Jinno held it up. "Is nothing?" He smirked as he read what was written on the sheet. "Seems like you've been sending notes to Hyuuga, I see. Automatic zero for you Sakura, I knew you'd be a troublemaker."

"Stop," Natsume demanded, looking at the teacher in the eye with hidden fury.

"Hyuuga, do not order a teacher around. Especially me," Jinno threatened, pushing his old-fashioned glasses up.

"Don't put the blame on her, she did nothing. I wrote all of it, trying to get her in trouble." Mikan stared at him in surprise, puzzled why he would do such a thing to defend her.

Nonetheless, she felt a burst of happiness. "Natsu-" she tried to protest but the teacher cut me off.

"But, this type of writing seems like Sakura. Surely, you wouldn't write to yourself, 'Stop calling me that. And I'm not stupid; I'm just not as smart as you are'."

Natsume drawled, "Well I did."

"That's not the way how you speak to teachers. Didn't anyone teach you any manners at all?"

"Didn't anyone teach you any manners?" Natsume seemed unaffected as he continued talking back to the teacher.

"That's it. Sakura, you're free from the punishment. But for you Hyuuga, you get worse. 5 months of studying under my supervision at lunch and an immediate zero."

"Tsk tsk tsk! Jinno, please be a bit more considerate for the boy!" Narumi said, skipping inside.

"Narumi, what are you doing here?" Jinno asked, frowning.

"I'd thought I'd stop by to rescue Natsume-kun! He shouldn't have to go through that much punishment, Jinno!"

After Jinno explained the situation, Narumi shook his head and said, "Nonsense! Even if what they did might seem wrong to you, they don't deserve your punishment. Let me deal with them, and you just carry on with whatever you were doing."

Jinno slumped in defeat and muttered curses under his breath. Narumi winked at them before skipping joyously out the classroom. Mikan nudged Natsume again and quietly whispered, "Thanks, Natsume. I owe you one."

"Whatever."

O

O

O

"Natsume! Wait up!" Mikan ran towards his walking figure.

"What, Polka?"

"I just wanted to thank you again. You don't know how much that meant to me, not getting a zero. All my hard work would've been in vain if it weren't for you."

"Look, I get your message: Thanks. No need to keep pestering me about how much of a hero to you I am," Natsume said arrogantly.

"Natsume," Mikan said, grabbing onto his warm hand.

"Thanks to Tsubasa-senpai, I learnt something valuable," she said.

"Yippee."

She frowned at him but continued, "I learnt something unknown to everyone about fractions."

"And that is?"

"That the denominator can't survive without the numerator, and the numerator can't survive without the denominator."

His eyebrows scrunched up in confusion for the first time as he silently told her to continue. "Therefore, to me, _you're _the other half of me. The other half of the fraction that was always empty, reserved for that special someone in my life."

Natsume couldn't find the voice to speak as she had stunned him with her sudden outburst of a confession. "For some reason, I always thought Hotaru would be my other half, the one I needed all my life. Thought I do need and want her in my life, I realised that she'll have her own half. But when I met you, you started – unintentionally – filling the position as my other half without any of us knowing. In other words, I love you."

"You're trying to say I'm the denominator and you're the numerator?" Natsume asked, talking for the first time.

"Something along the lines," Mikan said, watching his expression.

"Good. Because the spot for my numerator is now taken," Natsume said teasingly. Mikan grinned before kissing him with such a sweet passion.

As they pulled away, Natsume said, "Damn it. Did that shadow freak teach you that 'valuable lesson'?"

"Yeah, he did." Mikan smiled, blushing.

Natsume groaned and looked away from her. "What's wrong?"

"I owe that Andou now," he growled. Mikan laughed before asking, "Does this mean you're my boyfriend?"

"Yeah, and I'm not handing you over to anyone. Because you're _my _numerator," Natsume said as a tint of blush forming on his cheeks.

"I love you."

Natsume smiled his rare smile and squeezed her hand, conveying his reply.

'_I love you too.'_

O

O

O

**Rules of Natsume Hyuuga dating Polka**

**1. **_No talking to boys i.e. Andou._

**2. **_Kiss your boyfriend when he says so._

**3. **_Don't annoy the hell out of him._

**4. **_No cheating on your boyfriend._

**5. **_Don't ask your boyfriend to tutor you. Ever._

O

O

O

**REVISED! though mistakes may still be lurking in the darkness.**

**Thanks for reading, everyone! Not my best work, but at least I posted something. (: Thanks for all those reviewers who reviewed my previous one-shots. I've got plenty more one-shots up my sleeves, so brace your selves for them. Please review, or PM or whatever! A word of advice or compliment would be nice (:, thanks. Btw, you should listen to 'Common Denominator by Justin Bieber'. I know some of you may dislike him, but give the poor boy a break! :)**

**~Joy.**


End file.
